Hanoi (VNA) - An art performance praising the beauty of spring opened the Lunar New Year Festival on January 20 in downtown Hanoi. Artists from the Viet Bac Traditional Music, Song and Dance Theatre performed dance and singing to praise the spring, the people and the country, and especially the ruling Party as its National Congress is under way. The festival which will run until February 5 at the Vietnam Exhibition, Culture and Art Centre, 2 Hoa Lu street, features various cultural activities to welcome the coming lunar year, the Year of the Monkey. It's aimed to respect the beauty of traditional culture, celebrate the new year, said Duong Van Quynh, director of the centre. "It's also an opportunity for artists and farmers to introduce their products and to exchange with each other and Vietnamese overseas enterprises, who are invited to attend the festival," he said. During the festival, troupes will perform every night to fete audience with ca tru (ceremonial singing), water … [Read more...] about Bản in : Lunar New Year festival opens in downtown Hanoi
Downtown farmers market
Downtown lust for orchids leaves forests flowerless
Downtown lust for orchids leaves forests flowerless (07-08-2008) Self-destructive beauty: City dwellers select forest orchids from a downtown market. With the flowers collected by rural residents in the forests and brought into the city, the trend is hurting the growth of orchids in the wild. — VNS Photo THAI NGUYEN — Doi Can Road in the centre of Thai Nguyen gets more and more crowded every weekend, as city dwellers head out to pick up popular forest orchids. While the growing adoration of orchids is great for mountain dwellers who make a living off collecting the flowers, the movement is proving devastating for the health of orchids in the wild. According to the locals, the orchid trend sprung up rather spontaneously. The market started just 10 years ago but has grown enormously as people have become increasingly interested in forest orchids. On weekends, hundreds of species of forest orchids are brought from different mountainous regions including Cao Bang, Bac … [Read more...] about Downtown lust for orchids leaves forests flowerless
Mementos of the past: 3 Hanoi markets that stand the test of time
These markets in Hanoi are must-visit destinations during the last days of the Lunar New Year. They have become essential features of the capital city's rich culture. People don't just visit the markets to buy things. They are here to relive the old days. 1. The “antique” market on Hang Ma Street Traders at this unnamed market cannot even remember when it first started. The market usually opens on the 20th day of the last month in lunar calendar and last until the last day of the year. Traders usually sell all kinds of antique products on the sidewalks of Hang Ma Street. The products are not always truly antique, though. Some partially broken bowls or pots can be put for sale at astronomical prices. But people still flock to the market, as if they were bewitched. Or maybe they just want to look at beautiful things that remind them of the good old days. Antique products in the market: 2. Nua Maket This is probably the most bucolic market in Hanoi. It is … [Read more...] about Mementos of the past: 3 Hanoi markets that stand the test of time
Rice Festival To Benefit Farmers
Rice Festival To Benefit Farmers By Ho Hung Saving people from starvation and secure food for them, rice is now a valuable commoditiy. For the first time ever in Vietnam, a rice festival will be held in Hau Giang Province, from November 29 to December 2, in line with such a sense. These days, high streets in Vi Thanh Township in Hau Giang Province become hectic with public works being hurriedly completed. Posters, banners and ornamental flowers have been erected in different downtown places. All are waiting for the day to come: the Rice Festival. Truong Thanh Phong, chairman of the Vietnam Food Association, says one of the reasons for the festival—the first of its kind—to be held in Vietnam is to extol the water rice paddy, a common practice in many countries which Vietnam is still lacking. And why is Hau Giang Province chosen to host the festival despite the fact that its rice production is not the highest in the Mekong Delta? The organizers contend that the province is … [Read more...] about Rice Festival To Benefit Farmers